The Death Jackal was without a doubt, dead. It twitched here and there, but lay limp.
Pieces of its skull paired with brain matter splattered over a tree trunk, coloring it various shades of red.
"Well done." Lloyd clapped, dropping from a tree above. Strangely enough, his fall made no noise.
Liam nodded, his gaze still fixed to the dead rabbit.
"What was it doing?" Liam questioned as Lloyd approached the jackal and picked its corpse.
"Magical beasts have innate abilities,'' Lloyd revealed, taking out a large cloth and spreading it out.
"The way they use 'Ora' is quite special. From birth, their body is already attuned with it, allowing them to manipulate their elements as their bloodline spreads and prolongs." He explained, before taking out a slant tipped silver blade from his ring.
"This one in particular could exchange some of its life for a temporary increase in strength. As they do that, they can shoot up to Rank-1, but their life expectancy gets reduced to mere hours."
Liam raised his brows, but his eyes brimmed with curiosity.
Meanwhile, as Lloyd explained, he began skinning the rabbit, gesturing Liam to pay close attention as he did so.
"This is the gist of what the Opposition is, the balancing force of cultivation. There must always be some sort of barrier or drawback to growing stronger.
"Magical beasts have powerful bodies and natural abilities, but lack intellect. Humans on the other hand require cultivation techniques to progress further, but can make wonders with their minds alone."
As Lloyd concluded his explanation, he started teaching Liam for the next 15 minutes, about how to gracefully separate the skin from flesh, the flesh from bone, and how to carefully extract the organs.
Suddenly, Lloyd dug his hand into the jackal's abdomen, yanking out what looked like a translucent, soft marble.
"This is what allows them, and us, to absorb 'Ora'. The gaseous inside is the world essence in the flesh." He explained, handing the orb to Liam, who began inspecting it thoroughly.
A moment later, the pair began to make a small bonfire with a kindle of thin branches; cooking the skinned pieces of rabbit meat over it.
Like so, time passed.
…
Liam's time in the forest became enjoyable after he grew accustomed to its demanding conditions.
Hunting wild beasts and learning how to survive in the wilderness wasn't easy at first, but as time went on, Liam displayed talent in doing so.
At the same time, Liam began to condition his body.
His physical training consisted of lung strengthening, getting accustomed to heat, hunting, and daily spars with Lloyd.
For his lungs, Lloyd had given him hardened gourd bottles to break through, using only the strength in his exhale. Each bottle was bigger than the next, and it took him an entire month to break the first one.
Magical beasts were much more diverse and intriguing than Liam had realized. Nearly all their behaviors and abilities varied from each other, and Liam could easily hunt Rank-0 creatures with ease.
For the heat, the ravine waterfall was connected to a geyser not far from it. Liam had meditated directly under the waterfall, while heavy, nigh-boiling water washed over him.
Doing so didn't only hone his focus, but his resilience to weight and high temperatures.
However, out of all the rigorous and relentless training he went through, the spars were the most difficult.
Lloyd was merciless!
As Liam's proficiency with the sword got better, he started using a real katana and wakizashi, in line with his martial art.
Despite Lloyd only using a wooden stick, Liam couldn't match his prowess at all, and their duels ended with the latter being bruised and battered.
"You must get used to it. In a real fight, your attacker won't care about age or status. Ignoring pain will prove to be useful during those moments."
Though, Lloyd made sure not to injure the young man's face.
Creating a convincing story for Eve wasn't easy. Liam bringing back home heaps of cooked meat every night made her raise a brow, but the aching hunger enticed her to believe his alibi.
Liam would sell the spare meat to nearby butcheries and restaurants within the peasantry, providing him with a steady source of income on the side.
Five months passed, and spring had arrived.
Liam's thin and lanky figure turned lean and muscular, with his above average height growing by a few inches. At the same time, his facial features also grew more elegant.
Such progress was expected, as not a day passed where he didn't train.
…
Currently, Liam trailed through the blooming night forest with a giant sack tied to his back, pressing him down as he walked hunched.
He wore a tight, blood covered gymsuit that clung to his lean figure, while his blonde hair was styled to an undercut parted halfway. On his hip, were blades held tightly in their scabbard.
Liam eventually stopped near a familiar ravine.
"Took you long enough." Lloyd called out from a distance, sitting cross-legged on a large boulder with his back turned.
Liam dropped the heavy sack on the ground — which landed with a thud — then heaved a deep, tired sigh.
"You should've described its size properly. It was the size of a bloody bear, not a dog!" He retorted, before taking off his clothes and jumping inside the flowing river.
Lloyd raised his brows in surprise. 'Although Rank-0 Rage Badgers can grow large, don't tell me he killed one the size of a bear?'
A pensive look rested on Lloyd's face, before he nodded to himself.
'It's time for him to temper his body.'